Temne - Religion and Expressive Culture

Religious Beliefs.
The traditional Temne creator-High God is Kurumasaba, who, in judging
the Temne, is thought to be kind, generous, just, and infallible.
Kurumasaba is never approached directly, only through patrilineal
ancestors as intermediaries. These ancestors also judge their
descendants. Sacrifices are offered to them to obtain help for the
living. Various nonancestral spirits, some regarded as good and helpful,
others as mischievous and even vicious, also receive sacrifices and make
agreements to help or—at least not to harm—the living.
Temne also believe in witches (
rashir
), individuals, both male and female, who can make victims fall idle,
have an accident, or even die. The identity of a witch may be determined
by several divinatory techniques and, once identified, can be countered
by magical medicines. Especially useful are "swearing
medicines," which bring illness and death to an identified witch,
thief, or other target. Borrowings from Islam and Christianity have
altered many traditional beliefs during the twentieth century.

Religious
Practitioners. Traditional diviners used various methods and made
protective charms for individuals to protect farms from thieves and to
protect a house or farm from witches. These specialists paid for the
necessary knowledge from established practitioners during an
apprenticeship. Morimen, itinerant Muslims, provided the same range of
services with different methods. Officials of the major associations
(Poro, Ragbenle, Bundu, and so on) used techniques particular to their
group. Confidence in particular practitioners and particular techniques
varies over time.

Ceremonies.
Ceremonies are held for most life-stage transitions for both sexes. For
women, circumcision, coming of age, initiation into the Bundu society,
marriage, and giving birth are paramount. For men, circumcision,
initiation into the Poro society, marriage, and fathering children are
most important. The primary public ceremonies are those that mark the
end of initiation of groups into Bundu and Poro, both for ordinary
initiates and the rarer initiation of officials, and those that are part
of the installation or burial of a chief. The principal Christian and
Muslim holidays are also marked by ceremonies (e.g., Christmas and the
end of Ramadan).

Arts.
Graphic and plastic arts are essentially limited to the adornment of
utilitarian objects and the masks and other items used by the various
societies. In the past, the Ragbenle masks, especially, were many and
varied. The verbal arts are stressed, and Temne use riddles and proverbs
in instruction, engage in storytelling that verges on dramatic
performance, and employ vocal music and drumming on various occasions.
Jewelry is becoming more popular.

Medicine.
Disease and ill health are viewed in terms of obvious surface
"symptoms" (e.g., fever, rash, swelling) and the
"underlying causes" of those symptoms (e.g., witchcraft,
being caught by a swearing medicine). Symptoms can be relieved by
traditional and/or Western medicine, but these have no effect on the
underlying cause(s), which require divination and the proper
supernatural response.

Death and Afterlife.
Relatives assemble after a death, and the corpse is washed, oiled, and
dressed in good clothing. Burial usually occurs in or near the
deceased's house. Mourning periods and the number and form of
sacrifices vary with the status of the deceased. Divination of the cause
of death was usual in the past. Witches require special burial
procedures, and society officials and chiefs are also prepared and
buried in special ways. One common thread in all is the attempt to
appease the spirit of the deceased and prevent disturbance of the living
in the future.

User Contributions:

Thanks, I now have a better understanding. Where my ancestors come from, they are orignally from Greece, so simarly, one of their gods is Afradatie meaning the goddess of love. I look forward to learning more about the witch craft side of things :-)

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